Method of purifying petroleum products



-fhydroxylated derivatives,5v by intermixture u and, heating with strong alkaline solutions,

' Vbut VtheseV soapy salts are strong emulsifyingv agents and itis practically impossibleto Wash them from theoil Without serious losses of oildueto emulsiiication and -entrainmen-t in the wash waters. -Furthenthesesoaps are .readily decomposed by `water,f even .in the p-res'enceofexcessalkali, and tli'rus are'in part" fsplit into freel alkali and free acid, thelatter passing bac-k intol the oil, during'the long continued -washingfprocess. Further, itgis diflicult to remove the last ofthe alkali from Vthe oil by washing, 'particularly if itbe viscous, andthe presence of even a small pro-V portion of 'alkaline water interferes `seriously Withthesubsequent acid' treatment. Fi-

nally, the washing process isV tediousY and expensive, and results inmaterial loss ofoil' byfevaporation, if 'the stock Abe light 'and volatile, or in severe oxidation and darkening if the oil be' viscous.

lBy following my improvedmethod, about tobe described, all the advantages attendant ony the initial'removal of the: alkalisoluble 4bodies mayv be attained Without lanylof the difficulties vor disadvantages whichf'have vheretofore -prevented the -usellof the oldrmethod Vso ' will beun'derstood that the r specic'refer.-`

involving Washing-of the alkaline oil; vMy

improved process is particularly adapted tto cracked gasolines and to lubricating oils, but

it 'gives good resultson allrkinds and quali-r ties of petroleum distillate or residue, A'andiit len'ceslmade toits use `are by way-of example only, and thatmyinventionfis v*not limited there-hyp@ H 1, v 'y Arstep preliminary to the application of f myinvention' isthe preparation of a suitable when vwetwith water;l c

treating material, asv fully described inmy copending applications. For lthis lpurpose I first select a porous material insoluble in water and inert'to any othe constituentsof petroleum; Such materials are VVVCharcoal,

finely porous varieties ofcoke or pumice,

magnesium silicatev (sepiolite), or lpreferably a diatoma'c-eous 4or infusorial earth; Any. ofi these materials may be used inltheir frawform, afterfgrinding to afine powder,

but' I prefer to calcineearth materials teincrease-their porosity and to destroy any possible'v tendency to assume a muddy l To the finely ground inert material I add a suitable quantity, Which'may .be from 15% to33().%` more or'less', ofan alkali-capable of hydratev to other alkalis for. this purpose..

reactingwith the acidic constituents of petroleum. Suchalkalil may be a1 hydrate or a y carbonateof an alkali metal or aV-hydrateof anfalkali earth rnetal. Onv account `vof-'its cheapness, highreactivity and lowco'mbin- 1ng;.-we1ght I prefer,l commercialvr sodium Ihe .percentage vcomposition' above stated is particularly `suited, to a mixture Vof sodium condition hydrate with diatoinaceous earth, but it preferred proportion only and a greaterfor departing from the spirit of myinvention. The actual avdmixture of inert powder and alkali may be -eectedreither yWet or dry.

'Ihe Vcarbonates maybe simply ground to a L,line powder', the finer the better, and stirred or tumbledfwitli .thejinertpowder until the tw" are tllrdushly"and? evenly iltrm'xed, The hydrates are Vd'elique'scent and VcanV hard- .bevhandled-in so. simple a manner. A de#l less proportion of alkali may be used without sirable procedure is to start with la granular or flakejalkali anda portion of theinert material, wetting the mixture with Aenough lof the oil to be treated to exclude air., and `grind` the triple mixture, which' may` .be eithera dampened lmass orga thin vpaste or cream, in a ball orv other suitable mill, until the alkali isf reduced to a finepowderfand thoroughly diiiused throughout the mass. vv.The/remain f derofthe inertvpowd'ervmay then be added andthe whole thoroughly blended; Y i *A *somewhatr more fcostly but decidedly more efficientr materialy may be prepared by lirst dissolving ztheV alkali inl water tor form a the lpowdered inert material until the solutionisv evenly diffused .and the enti-redmass o silicate willlresuluV Airdrying and turning,

orf-drying on trays-with warm'air', will give c satisfactory'products, .but -onlythe igentlestY heating is'V permissible. The product-.of such mixtures requiresfto'be regroundaiiter dry a vpowder is formedrinto ailayer 4or-'cakein any convenient. manner;` y Thus, f it vmay .be suspended 1n a small portion of thefoil to be treated and the magma forced intofaililter press, Where-the'powder will form ja Vcake on and adhering tothe cloth; or 'the-powder may beformed into'a' layer inthebottomo a pervcolatingivessel: The manners of'foriningthe 'strong '-solution, blendingthis solution with Y iba /in'g,a s it'isfrecemented bythe-alkali'.-y

' The mixture/of alkaliand inert supporting Y material havingloeen made and reduced'to cake and of passing the oil therethrough are no part'of -my present invention,vr and both the apparatus used and the formi of cake producedV may be varied at Will,raccording to convenience and with regard to the' kind and quantity of'V oil to he passed through the cake.

Thus, "gasoline maybe-handled in a' Vpercolator," while'viscous-joils would necessarily require a. pressure filter.; i' f i j A 1 l f Y VThe cake beingf-formedf,I carryv out `the first step in'rniylimproved .process by passing they oil through vthe cake-.-v-The oil may be a petroleum distillaterfromacondenser or a CII denhleginatorgor laresidue'lrom the steam reduction oa distillate or 'of a lcrude aoil'."` It the: oil` to beV treated ris a fnoni/'iscous yproduct such as gasoline or lerosenefit shouldfibe passed 'l through the calze Withoutany heatingg'ii it is :a .slightly yiscouszproduct such-ias gas oil, furnace distillataucracking `stock or lightl lubricant it inlay; be1v :gently-1 warmed,

While if `it -is aviscousy lubricant er 'v reduced stock it should Vfbe heated to a temperature' of fluidity.- I 1 i.

It the petroleum :is of `the `nature of :gasoline yor `kerosene,A and :particularly ii" it conf-A tains but a :small proportion o frbodies realctive With alkali, itimay Vbe passed-through the oil and which Will separate from` `ift/fonv standing,` for a short; time. l But if vthe oil contain more than say one'percent ofrits voluine or .acidic constituents it ispreterable vtov introduce into it asmall'proportion' of Water prior to passing it through thevcakelwflhis Water should be completely` and tinelywdisL persed inthe oil so as to be .brought intoeven contact with all partsA otthe surface otthe cake. A i i r1 A `very satisfactory Way 4of' ldispersingthe i Water in the oil is to inject Wetvsteam invery fine j cts into the flow streamof oil advancing towardV thellilter means. Tlf-the .heating simultaneously produced? be objectionable, as it would be, for example',in-fthe'` case otja cracked gasoline (Which .would usuallyw re# quire the addition. of Water) thezintermixture maybe produced mechanically, as v4by rinjectL ing needle jets of Water into a flow istr'ea-inof the oil and passing theelatterl through a'beater or emulsifying apparatus. It isundesir'- able to depend on producingintermixture"in a batch and 'thereafter to feed the mixture to the lter, unlesstthel oil is :sufficiently `yi'scousr to completely .emulsiiy the "Watervorf unless thefeed tanlr be kept in continuousa'gitation during the ent-ire feedingperiod; .It'ismosty essential that the Waterbe fed in an even and controlled ratio to the oilffeed', so that its action onthecake material maybe continuous rather than intermittent.` Y f The quantity,l of i' Water required .is that quantity which( will dissolve the; alkali-,reaction product as fast astormedlbutw'hich Will not suthce to hydrolize it. lor-1 to set up emulsication Within `the cake. `This `quan7 tity or proportion cannoty be conveniently predetermined; but it niayreadily. be con trolled during the coursewof vthe treatment by observing the vrconditionfof `the eliiuent from i thel salie. j Thus, ,ifi the goil ,retains F its original fcolor i and` oder the v water `feed is undoubtedlytoo smalltor maintain ,the' desired reaction;i lItthev oil is yobserved to be paler or vsWeetertlranthe raw; stocjbut no aqueous eliluent appears after fa reasonable; :time l the Water feed-is; probably 'somewhat `too ismalll.

'ljhisfwillzalso be indcatedxbyfa poor.` d-emul sir'ication retest withk, alkalr. It the lwatery portion ,of the: eiluent is voluminous fandxof a nnlkycolor the Water feedls .too large.4 .3

- "WVhen the correctproportion.` of W'aterris being-fed the aqueous .portion offthelfeitluent should' be strongly discolored, often darker .than the oil, auditv 'from a lubricating stock may ottenlbe of an opaque brown.;V -ltshfould Y t bef'.subf'stantiallyy clear Viny thin layers,y .and

shouldbeV completely soluble in Watem` 1 Thel oilgif `originallyTot a dark-` color, should-vibe considerably bleached, the offensive odor :of

cracked i or I sulfurous i distillates y, Should bev 1 materiallyr improved, andthe oil after sepaicon ration-,from thefaqueous'eliluent should be clear in thin layers or Whendilutedl with vgas-` oline, and :should show. a practically perfect delnulsicationtest' with Water,brne` oral- .The combined effluent lfromthe press, cojn-` sisting'ot droplets of alkaline `reaction prod-` Y uct suspended cleani oil, can .be separated bygrayitydierence alone, butthelinanner of (separation will i be governed 4by( :the rvisf cosityY of -the 1 oil. Th-1s, the aqueous drops' will settle so rapidly from gasolrneor kerosene that they may .beiremoved by'rnerely passingV the .streamthrough atseparator o'fthe static 5 type, which operates merely to Withdrawran aqueous lay-erliirom the-*lower andA anE oil layer lfrom 'the-,upper portionV ofa settling shell.

Oils of intermediate- :Viscosity 4may require several hour@ Settlinginatanl'where the mix lture rmay. remain perfectly quiescent. 'Y This will usually sufhceals fior,k lubricating oilsf the, temperature isnot allowed tofallfbut extremely ,Viscous -oilsfinay@require to: be tgently centrifuged@With yviscous .oils/,1 is inostimportant `that pressdiscliarges and conductor pipes be streamlined and of ample area, A.as,yturbulence on the ldischarge vsideV of the cake may produce einulsification 'ofthe oil with thejonce separated soap solution-.J

J Thenabovetreatment'should.,completelyfremore frointhe oil yall ,constituents Vreactive With strong ,alkaline solutions, such as` the naphthenicacids, thephenols andftheirsul- Y .1,29

fur substitution products, some! otheali phatic sulfurcompounds, highly unsaturat-- ed aliphatic hydrocarbons ,such as the-dioletins, free sulfur ing solution, hydrogen ,Sullich andrin generaln all bodiescap'able Ofgforming Water' vsoluble lcompounds` :with an alkali The next stepinmy-improved process iste treat-'the 'oil With sulfuric-acid.' :This Operai tion is Well known and understood, 'and may bei performed seither continuously 4or intermittently' and lwith only such precautionslas Would beY taken inv treating an oil of the same class-Which had not beensubjected tov preliminary.1 The only `exception isy vthat. ,a materiallyA smaller dose of acid Will be required to produce any desired degree'of purification or` decolorization. In treating cracked Y gasoline in particular,.and still more particularly such asis `producedfrom vapor phase processes, the .required dosage of` acidv WillV be verf" muchV reduced and carel should be taken not 'to useVv more than, the, minimum quantity ifthebest fina-l results as to quality vfor cracked* gasoline, from lf2 pound to of product are'to be obtained.l

Thequantity of lacid tob'eused inthe acid treatmentwill` of necessity varyvvidely With the nature and conditionof theoiland with the desired color and condition of the finished Loil. I may state as suggestive quantities, for

straight-run gasoline made froml crudeffoil, from 1/4 pound to 1 poun'dper barrelof oil;

pounds per barrel; for kerosene, froml poundftol() pounds per barrel and for lubrieating oils, from' 2 pounds to twenty-*pounds or even more per barrel.` I do not restrict myselfto anygiven acid dosagevbecause of the extremely Wide variation required under dif'- ferent conditions and for ldifferent oils, but the dosage Will in any casebe less than the dosage required Where the aforesaidpreliminary treatment with an alkali-containing vvFollowing the Vacid treatment theV acid lsludge',iwhich Will be in less thanthe usual quantity' for any given-grade of o il,"issettled and Withdrawn in the customary manner: `The usual care should be taken'to remove the sludgev as completelyas possible before proceeding to the finalneutralization.

Neutralization of the acidified 'o'1l,inwhich" traces of ysulfuric and vsulfurousv acids and acid reaction products vare Withdrawn, may be performed either by theuse Vof a 'secondai- Vkali cake applied infsubst'antially theta'bove manner, vorbyv acting on the oil with aqueous solution of analkalior vvith solid pulverized alkali and thereafter' Washing With -Water in the-usualmanne'r, or by adsorbingrtheacids into clay or similarporous'material'.

AccordingV to the first named alternative, which I prefer, a cake is prepared and used as above described except that itis somewhat preferable to 'use sodium carbonateinstead of sodium hydrate and thatv only a minute quantityY ofrwater, `if' any, is needed. If a lubricating oil,-jand if the sludge has been gathered With 'Water atthe end of the acid treatment, the vcloud of Water remaining in ythe-oil Will be sufficient. The oilseparating from the reiiluent from this cake Will be iin- 1 ished neutral' oil, requiring no furtherl treatment, and vvill be free from acid,`alkali, soaps and salts.

Onv account of the prior removalofrthe acidic constituents the v'quantity-of alkali reaction product formed on treating the acidi- Y fiedV oil Will be much reduced, and itwill usu-y ally be possible to kvvash-theoil with Water`r `after neutralizing it xvvithi aqueous orV solid alkali in the usual manner vWithout 'incurringV thelossesand difficulties whichy Would other? Y Wise accrue.A This operation isV vvellA 'known and understood andneed not be described.

HFor the `same reason the vacidified oil as above prepared is particularly suitedv forl neutralization by the action ofran adsorbent.

These bodiesythe nature and function of which are-very Wellfknovvn, act by physically withdrawingthe acid'constituents rather than by converting themf into neutral salts, the powdered adsorbent being mixed and usually heated With `the oil and thenVV filteredj out. Clays and earthsfclassed as fullers earthare 'used for this'purpos'e and the deacidiiicationis usuallyattended byla bleachingofthe'color.

ofthe oil, the presence of acid in the oil increasing theeffectiveness ofthe earth as adecolorizing agent.V '-Theseadsorbents are highly efl'ective in removing mineral and sulfonic acids, such as are leftbehind or produced by the sulfuric acidl treatment, but have little efIicacy forv removingV naphthenic acids.7 The completepriorlremoval A:of these acids, as contemplated in= my process, `makes 'it possible and desirable to use this methodof neutralization in many casesrwhere it Would notbe feasi# l ble to apply it to a stock which has been acid treated without suchv prior n I claim asmy'invention: f Y r 1:1 The method of purifying a petroleum oil Which comprises: removing alkali-reactive constituentsfrom said oil by passing theunremoval.

treated oil throughfa substantially dry'cak-e Y of.` pulverized inertporous material mixed With alkali and parting from the effluent any reaction product which maypass With said oilj through said cake; treating the effluentfoil With sulfuric acid; separating the acid Vsludge so'formed, and neutralizing the acidified oil.

*2: The method of purifying a petroleumoil which comprises removing alkali-reactive constituent-s fromvsaid'oil lby passingthe un'- treated oil through a substantially dry cake of pulverlzed porous materialY containing sodium hydrate and parting from the effluent any reaction, prod uct .which may pass With said oil through said cake gtreating the eiiiuent oil With sulfuric acid ;.separating vthe acid sludgel and' Without Water ivashing,'treating the ef-v fluent oil With sulfuricV acid; separatingzthe acid sludge so formed, and finally removing the acidity from the acidifed oil. f Y Y 4. The method of purifying a petroleum oil which comprises: removing alkali-reactive constituents from said oil by passing the untreated oil through a substantially dry cake of pulverized inert porous material containing sodium hydrate and parting from the eluent any reaction product which may iass With said oil through said cake; therea ter, and Without Water washing, treating the eluent oil with sulfuric acid; separating the acid sludge so formed, and finally removingv the acidity from the acidified oil.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto Subscribed my name this 11th day of June, 1928. y t

WRIGHT GARY. 

